February 26, 2004

Music muse

'A Song for Sara' captures life of local folksinger

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer

       Joan Julin has crafted a portrait of the life, love and talent of Sara Anderson, a folksinger and advocate for abused women now battling cancer.
      A veteran video producer for tctv2, Julin publicly debuted 'A Song for Sara' Sunday afternoon at the Traverse Area District Library. More than 60 attended to watch, listen and learn about the life of courageous woman blessed with a honeyed voice and glowing smile.
      "This means so much to Sara, I talked to her this morning and she was really excited," said Julin before starting the video. "She's always doing for someone and our hope is that we all will appreciate the things that she's done and is doing and give you a better insight into her life."
      The hour-long video is narrated by Rita Melotti and features numerous clips from Anderson's performing and television career woven into a synopsis of her life. Anderson could not attend the event but her daughter, Tove Fjeldheim, represented her and tearfully thanked everyone for being there.
      Anderson initially contacted Julin about making a retrospective of her life 18 months ago. She came to Julin's house with boxes of tapes and clips of her work but the project snagged on copyright releases for much of the material.
      "She carted all her stuff back and about a year later I found out that she had cancer, that it was terminal," recalled Julin of how the project began anew. "Amazingly, this time when I called for copyright clearances, they just came."
      Anderson is the oldest of three sisters, born after World War II in Iowa to Norwegian parents; her father worked as a design draftsman for NASA. Shortly after graduating from high school she heard Al Jarreau sing and was captivated by the thought of performing professionally. She soon began her singing career at a lounge on weekends while working in a bank by day.
      The video follows Anderson's rising singing career, interspersing Melotti's narrative with clips of numerous performances from the 1970s. Anderson began writing songs as well, dipping into her own life and experiences for inspiration. She wrote songs about love, loss, summers, friendship and yearning, her first foray about a trip she took to North Dakota.
      She also toured steadily for 11 years, from 1969-1980, during which time her marriage to her high school sweetheart ended. One of her many stops around the country was at the Top of the Park in the Park Place Hotel, one of her favorite venues. She formed friendships and made contacts that helped her later when she moved to the area in 1994.
      A European tour in her ancestral homeland of Norway in the early 1980s led to a whirlwind courtship and marriage to her second husband, Terje Bye Fjeldheim. Her daughter Tove was born in 1982 in Oslo and she turned her writing to lullabies in both Norwegian and English. Without warning a few years later, her marriage descended into violence and fear.
      Like many women she counseled during her time as an advocate for the Women's Resource Center in Traverse City, Anderson took years to break away. She and her daughter settled in Traverse City in 1994 and began rebuilding their lives. They drew on the resources of the Women's Resource Center and eventually Anderson worked there to help other women.
      She recorded her experiences of pain from and transcendence over domestic abuse in the song "Wellworn Timber," which she recorded with Third Coast.
      Anderson emerged from the tumult and terror of domestic violence to trust again. She and partner Tom Hall have crafted a partnership based on mutual respect and love for the past ten years. This forms the foundation of a new challenge they share as each has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
      Julin's production illustrates how Anderson, using her sweet voice and beautiful smile, has captivated audiences and won hearts throughout her life. As a performer and songwriter, Anderson has a special gift, noted Adair Correll of Traverse City, a member of the Songwriters in the Round with her.
      "Number one, her songs are personal and about true life experiences, mostly her life," Correll said. "Probably the most profound quality is that she sings from the heart."